
32
SABBATH SCHOOL LESSON QUARTERLY
whom we would win, and speak heartily of
it."—"Taking Men
Alive," pp. 176, 177.
6.
One of the principles on which Christ worked was that
of
giving the present interest of the one with whom He
worked prominent place to begin with. An instance of this
is found in the first miraculous draft of fishes and the call
to the fishermen. With the woman of Samaria, He com-
menced with a request for a drink of water, that in which
she was then interested. The multitude who had been mi-
raculously fed, He led from the temporal bread in which they
were interested to the Bread of heaven. In the same manner,
we must, if we would be successful soul winners, begin our
work with the subjects in which the people are interested.
7.
Dr. Trumbull was a personal worker for nearly fifty
years. Here is his testimony concerning this question: "From
nearly half
a
century of such practice, as I have had op-
portunity day by day, I can say that I have spoken with thou-
sands upon thousands on the subject of their spiritual
welfare. Yet, so far from my becoming accustomed to this mat-
ter, so that I can take hold of it as a matter of course,
I
find
it as difficult to speak about it at the end of these years
as at the beginning. Never to the present day can
I
speak
to a single soul for Christ without being reminded by Satan
that I am in danger of harming the cause by introducing
it just now. If there is one thing that Satan is sensitive
about, it is the danger of a Christian harming the. cause
he loves by speaking'of Christ to a needy soul. He [Satan]
has more than once, or twice, or thrice, kept me from speak-
ing on the subject by his sensitive pious caution, and he has
tried a thousand times to do so. Therefore my experience
leads me to suppose that he is urging other persons to try
any method for souls except the best one.
"Have we not the answer here to the question as to why
this work is the hardest in the world? Just because it is the
most effective work for Christ, the devil opposes it most bit-
terly, and always will while he is permitted to oppose any-
thing good. The devil strikes hardest and most persistently
at the forces which will, if effective, hurt his cause most. . . .
This, then, is what we face when we enter upon this [per-
sonal] work. The greatest and hardest work in the world,
it will never grow easy, but it will never grow small. If it
always remains the hardest, it always remains also the great-
est."—"Taking Men Alive," pp. 44-.l6.
The series of Senior Sabbath school lessons for next quar-
ter is entitled "The Gifts and Fruits of the Spirit." The book,
"The Ministry of the Spirit," by Elder G. B. Thompson, will
be a valuable help.
Printed in U. S. A., by Pacific Press Publishing Assn., Mountain View, Calif.